Bradt: I won’t be bested

Watching this video makes my appendectomy incision hurt.

Kayaker Tyler Bradt decided he won’t be outdone by Pedro Olivia. Bradt last month bested Olivia’s 127-foot plunge down Belo Salto in South America from earlier this year, choosing instead to direct his kayak over the 60-foot taller Palouse Falls in Washington.

Just how Bradt with all that force of water on his head managed to escape the torrent of currents and sharp rocks at the base eludes my imagination. And could you imagine the terror of disappearing into the waterfall during your descent, rather than ride on the outside where at least you could view the landing?

Here’s the Seattle Timesstory about Bradt’s feat. My favorite part of the article is where Bradt refers to his rival, Pedro Olivia:

The 22-year-old set a previous record in 2007 when he kayaked off 107-foot Alexandra Falls along the Hay River in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

That record was “marginally broken,” Bradt said, by a Brazilian who ran a 127-foot waterfall last month. However, Bradt debated the Brazilian’s record-breaking plummet because he landed on his head instead of in a clean, kayak-nose-first position.

Dude, from where I sit in the stands, nobody gives a damn about how you land, just that you survive.